Harry Skypotter: Return of the Wizard Knights
by Lady Remus 1983
Summary: This is “Return of the Jedi” Harry Potter style. Although some lines are lifted from the film and novel but most of it involves the changing of characters and plot. It is not the retelling of “ROTJ” wordforword. It’s “ROTJ” with a LOT of twists!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Harry Skypotter and the Return of the Wizard Knights Part 1

**Author:** Lady Remus

**Fandom Crossover:** Harry Potter/Star Wars (Return of the Jedi in particular)

**Summary: **This is "Return of the Jedi" Harry Potter style. Although some lines are lifted from the film and novel but most of it involves the changing of characters and plot. It is not the re-telling of "ROTJ" word-for-word. It's "ROTJ" with a LOT of twists!

**Rating:** PG-13

**Word Count:** 13,172

**Pairings/Main Characters:** No pairings really (Remus/Sirius is used but not in an explicit manner). Main characters Harry/Luke Skywalker, Hermione/Princess Leia, Sirius/Han Solo, Voldemort/Emperor Palpatine, Peter Pettigrew/Darth Vader (don't ask!), Remus/Chewbacca, Ron/C-3PO, Fred and George/R2D2, Dumbledore/Obi-Wan and a lot of House Elves/Ewoks and Death Eaters/Stormtroopers!!!

**Warnings:** mentions of a homosexual pairing (trust me, it's not explicit and **does not** involve bestiality, although the characters I chose might suggest it does. Sirius and Rembacca may be space pirates but they got morals!)

**Disclaimer:** The worlds of Harry Potter and Star Wars come from the minds of J.K. Rowling and George Lucas respectively. I don't own them and I'm certainly not making any profit from this.

**Beta Readers:** lotrwariorgodss and writermerrin (Live Journal)

**Author Notes: **This was _originally_ written for youngestone over at crossoverhp. However, after submitting this piece, I got word from the mod violetquill that youngestone had not submitted his assignment so he would not be receiving a gift and asked me if I wanted it re-gifted. So now this fic is for tarie and I hope he/she really likes it.

I just couldn't decide what to write about it. First it was Sirius going through the Veil to find himself at Port Royal (at the time, I thought it would become too long and complicated), then it was the Marauders getting ready to go to see "Empire Strikes Back" but I thought it might not fit in any crossover category and then I came up with doing a Pastiche. At first I thought of doing a Marauder parody of "Revenge of the Sith" but that became too complex so I chose the original trilogy. I would have done "Empire Strikes Back" but it seems like with every Harry Potter parody of "Star Wars", every fic seems to be of "Empire Strikes Back" so I chose "ROTJ" for two reasons: I thought it'd be more original and also, as the final Harry Potter book is being released this summer, I thought doing the last film of the Star Wars would be far more fitting. Ironically, the final fic is far longer than my original HP/POTC idea (but hey, in a way, this was more fun to plan and write!)

One more thing: the first scene is a parody of a scene that was filmed but cut from the final print. The scene does appear in the book though (which became my Bible throughout the writing of this fic). Notes of the cut scene can be found on the net.

I think I should explain why I made Wormtail Darth Vader. In my opinion, after seeing ROTJ, I thought the Emperor was a lot scarier and more of a villain than Vader so in that case, having Voldemort as Palpatine with Wormtail as his minion seemed appropriate.

**Dedication: **To theterrible for helping me understand the idea of "pastiche", to sake11 for reading it as I wrote it and saying it was great and for my two beta readers who took the time and effort to beta read this very long fic. I hope this dedication makes up for the brain cells you wore out whilst sorting this fic out. Oh and thanks to violetquill for having the patience of a saint and granting me the extension to sort out beta reading.

As the sandstorm roared across the sandy dunes of Privetooine, Harry Skypotter wondered how he had tolerated such harsh weather as a child. If he had his way, he would never have thought of setting a foot back on the dreary planet, but the situation was unavoidable and it was worth it to save his friend, Sirius Solo from the clutches of Dolores the Hutt.

And now, all six members of the group wandered through the thick gale. The android, F2G2 was first of course. The android was well-known for being mischievous whenever possible but when it came to this type of situations, he was a lifesaver. He was able to guide the group through the storm that had made it impossible for them to see anything, not even their own hands. C3-RW was next, then Harry guiding Princess Hermia, and finally the wolf-like creature, Rembacca supporting the weak Sirius.

Suddenly, the wind died and the group could see the _Millennium Wolfstar_ and Harry's F-Bolt Fighter in the distance. They moved as fast as the dying wind would let them. They huddled under the _Wolfstar_ and watched as the storm calmed down altogether. It was then that Harry made his way to his F-Bolt.

He was stopped by a hand resting on his shoulder, and he heard Sirius say, "Look, kid. Why don't you come with us?"

Harry turned around. "I can't. Well not yet anyway. I have a promise to keep."

Hermia urged. "Well, hurry up. We'll meet you at the secret base as arranged. The Order should be on their way to Spendor by now."

Harry assured. "I'll be quick as I can. I promise."

Sirius spoke. "Thanks for coming after me, Harry."

Harry smiled. "Well you did save my life…_twice_. I just thought I'd repay some of the favour."

The space pirate's face and voice suddenly turned serious. "No. I mean it, kid. Being trapped through that Veil..." He shuddered in mid-sentence.

Harry did not know how to respond to that remark. After all, he knew that Sirius did not owe him a thing. Ever since they had met in the Hutt's Head Inn all those years ago, the space pirate had always risked his life to save Harry, and the life debt had created a bond between the pair of them. Harry had studied these types of bonds with his old mentor, Al-Bus Kenobi, but he had never understood them at all until Sirius had saved him during the battle of the Death Mark. And yet, Harry felt--no, he _knew_--that the bond went much deeper than that of a life debt.

Sirius's face suddenly lit up with a grin. "Well, come on. Let's get off this miserable dirtball."

Harry nodded and ran towards his fighter with F2G2 following him. Harry strapped himself in and watched as the _Wolfstar_ jetted off into space. He started up his fighter's engines and followed suit.

As the F-Bolt glided towards the Hogobah system, a chorus of beeps and whistles elicited from F2G2. Harry looked at the translation that was lit on the luminous screen in front of him.

"That's right, F2," he said, "we're going to Hogobah." When F2G2 whined, Harry sighed. "I know, I know. He's a pain in the bum but he's the only Wizard Master left. I need to complete my training and get some answers." He heard another long whine from the android and he rolled his eyes. "Look, why don't you make yourself useful and just tell me some jokes to pass the time?"

And so, the fighter became filled with various beeps and whistles that became mixed with Harry's laughter as he read joke after joke that appeared on the screen. He was laughing so hard that he almost crashed his fighter into the Hogobah swamp. He was so determined not to make _that_ mistake again that he took special care in guiding his fighter to safety. After landing safely, Harry placed his lightwand into his holster and walked down the path to Yobby's small hut.

"I wouldn't waste your energy, Harry."

Harry looked round and saw the ghost of Al-Bus sitting on a log. "I have to go, Al-Bus. Yobby owes me some answers and," he pointed a finger at his former mentor, "if he's too hopeless to give them to me, then I'm coming after you."

"You may be powerful in the Arts but you need to learn some manners" Al-Bus sounded like an angry parent talking to a naughty child. "I will not have anything and said against Yobby. He's a greater Master than people give him credit for. And besides, didn't anyone tell you not to disrespect the dead?"

"You can give me the lecture later. I have to go." He turned away and headed back down the path.

"He's dead."

The old Master's words stopped Harry in his tracks. "What?"

Al-Bus sighed. "He became one with the Force several days ago. So it looks like you'll have to come to me for your answers."

Harry walked towards the log and sat down. "Actually, I prefer talking to you anyway."

"So what do you want to know?"

Harry sighed a bit impatiently. "You say that you can see all and that you know all and yet you're asking me _that_ question. Weren't you watching when I got my hand chopped off?" He raised his gloved hand as if to emphasise his point.

"Even ghosts who are one with the Force need their sleep. I must have been napping at the time."

Harry exhaled again. "Alright. First of all, is Darth Vormtail my father?"

Al-Bus' eyes widened in shock. "Who told you that lie?"

"Vormtail did, just after he cut off my hand."

"And you _believed_ him? Don't you remember the first thing I told you? The Dark Side is very naughty and anyone who practices it will try to mess with your mind."

"So he _was_ lying?"

Al-Bus murmured, "Give the kid a goldfish." He then said in a clearer voice, "Yes, he was. James Skypotter was your father. Lily Amidala was your mother. Vormtail was friends with your father. However, when it looked like Emperor Palpamort would win the war, Vormtail turned to the Dark Side and betrayed your parents. And…oh I told you the rest."

Harry traced a finger along the unmistakable scar on his forehead. "Yeah you did." _And thank the Force he is not my father! _he thought. He said softly, "So, with you and Yobby gone to the other side, where do I go from here?"

"You already know that. You are ready to face Palpamort and Vormtail."

Harry shook his head. "You are kidding, right? Al-Bus, I'm not ready. I mean, I couldn't even defeat Vormtail!"

"That was a year ago, Harry. Remember, you did leave your training early. You've come a long way since then. After all, you saved your friends just now."

Harry folded his arms. "Oh, so you were there to see _that_, were you?"

Al-Bus shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's just that Dolores the Hutt…she always had it in for me. I saw how you fought. You _are_ ready."

"I don't feel ready though. I feel like the only Wizard Knight left."

"Oh, quit whining, Harry. It's very unattractive in a Wizard Knight. Princesses don't go for whiners. And well, you're not the last one."

Harry's mouth opened in shock. "WHAT!?"

"There is another out there with the same strength in the Force as you."

"Oh, you are joshing, right?" After a second's thought, Harry had a revelation. "Wait! It's not Hermia, is it? She's not my twin, is she?"

Al-Bus chuckled and shook his head. "No, she's not. You can get horny over her in that bikini."

Although Harry did not like the idea of his mentor probing into his mind, he was relieved that he could still fancy the feisty princess without feeling ashamed of it. After sighing with relief, Harry asked. "So, there is another?"

"Yes."

"And you just decided to tell me _now_? I've had to put up with flipping Yobby when there could have been someone better out there?"

"The truth is, he's very stubborn and sort of gave up on the Force."

"How can you _possibly_ give up on the Force? These powers are great!"

"Yes and with great powers comes great responsibility."

"Is that a new phrase from the Force?"

"No. I heard it somewhere. I can't remember where exactly where though. I think I better start at the beginning. I've known him since he was very young. I even taught him the Arts and although he had his arrogant side, he was still one of the best students in the academy along with your father. I trained him alongside your father and the two became best friends. In fact, if anything did happen to James and Lily, he was to be your legal guardian.

"However, after your parents were killed, he was the first to be blamed. Darth Vormtail had been able to frame him, and of course he went into hiding. Even when Vormtail and Palpamort were eventually revealed to be responsible, he still stayed in hiding.

"I found him again a few years ago and ever since then, I have tried to contact him through the Force, but he keeps saying that he has lost faith and want to keep with the life he has. He has had a hard year, and through that time, I have comforted him and tried to give him hope--I don't know if it has worked or not though."

Harry asked, "Where can I find him? Maybe I can help."

"He's closer than you think, Harry. In fact, over the last few years, he has saved your life several times and has inadvertently become the guardian that James wanted him to be."

After a few moments of silence, a light clicked on in Harry's mind. "It can't be…Sirius!"

Al-Bus nodded. "Your insight serves you well. At least your training wasn't a complete waste of time." His voice suddenly became stern and teacher-like. "Bury this--and your feelings--deep inside you, Harry. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor."

Harry licked his lips. "Do you _really_ think Sirius can help me?"

"He already has. However, in the ways of the Force, he is still stubborn, but I believe in him. I believe in you too, that you _can_ defeat the Lords of the Dark Side."

Harry nodded without saying a word. He had no idea how long he sat down near that murky swamp, but he was too lost in his thoughts to care.

"_It can't be…Sirius!"_

"_Your insight serves you well. Bury this--and your feelings deep inside you, Harry. They do you credit_,_ but they could be made to serve the Emperor."_

The Emperor laughed evilly, taking delight in how his laugher echoed across the throne room of the Death Mark II. He was facing the back wall but he did not need to see that Lord Vormtail had entered the room. Palpamort could see it now--Vormtail trying to look powerful and fearful in his dark armour and, of course, failing miserably. He would have disposed of his pitiful servant years ago--he had no use for him now that Harry Skypotter had come of age--but Vormtail still had his uses, minimal as they were.

"And what are you doing here, Lord Vormtail? I told you to remain with the Death Troopers."

"I apologise, my Lord." Darth Vormtail tried to speak in a much deeper voice but it did not cover the rat-like tones of his real voice. "But I've come to inform you that the rest of the Order are heading to Spendor."

The Emperor's throne swivelled so that he was now facing his servant." Yes, I know this already. I also know something else--Solo is still alive and Skypotter knows the truth." When Darth Vormtail took a step backwards, Palpamort could instantly feel the fear surrounding his servant. "Do not worry, my apprentice; this will work to our advantage. Solo is on his way with the rest of the Order and he shares a bond with Skypotter. He has also given up on the Force. You and the Death Troopers will have no problem in bringing him to me" He leaned forward in his throne and Vormtail could see Palpamort's disfigured face. "And I want him _alive_!"

Vormtail knelt down. "As you wish."

The throne swivelled until the Emperor was facing the back wall again and that was the end of that matter.

"Master Harry, are you alright?"

The young man awoke from his deep thinking and saw C3-RW hovering over him. The reddish-gold protocol droid had a tendency to whine and be downright annoying, but Harry secretly liked having him around--it was almost like having a best friend. Plus, it was fun to hear C3-RW have petty arguments with F2G2--the same kind of arguments that brothers would have.

Harry forced himself to smile. "Yes, C3-RW, I'm fine."

"I have come to inform you that we have landed on the planet Spendor and the rest of the crew are off the ship."

"Very well." Harry stood up and walked down the ramp.

The forest that surrounded the planet was majestic--Harry had never seen trees so big or grass so green. And yet, he could not enjoy the sight properly. Something was wrong--he could _feel_ it.

He murmured, "Something's happened."

Hermia replied sarcastically, "Yeah, Solo here has landed us in the wrong place."

Before Sirius could retort this statement, Harry shook his head. "No. This is the right place to be, but something has happened here."

"Yeah," Hermia replied. "You spent too much time doing your own thing and we got here too late. Now, the rest of the Order have gone off to do the mission without us. I told you to hurry up!"

"Hey!" Sirius pointed an accusing finger. "Leave him alone. You know what he is, and it's something important, something you will never understand."

Hermia placed her hands on her hips. "And I suppose you do, then?"

Before Sirius could answer, the group heard the snap of a branch. Harry's feeling of unease intensified. He reached out his hands towards the _Wolfstar_ and said, "Accio, broom!" A few seconds later, his trusty broom flew out of the ship and into his open hand. He moved towards the clearing.

"Stay here, "he said. "I'll just go and see."

"Wait a minute, kid," Sirius chipped in. "I'll come with you."

If it had been any other time, Harry would have objected, but now that he knew the truth about this so-called space pirate, Harry was more than happy for Sirius to come along.

He nodded and turned to Hermia. "You stay here, with the droids and Rembacca. We won't be long."

"Oh, and what am I supposed to do here?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Wait and see if the Order return."

Sirius added, "Or you can try and get that rod out of your backside."

Hermia made a retort to that remark, but neither Harry nor Sirius heard it, or chose not to hear it. They made their way through the forest towards where they heard the noise.

Sirius spoke first. "I don't know why we have her around."

Harry replied, "Well, she's good in a crisis. It's just a shame that she's got such a temper, especially towards you. Ever since we started searching for you last year, she seems to have a chip on her shoulder. What is that all about?"

Sirius sighed. "Well, while you were away, we got stranded on an asteroid. I was repairing part of the ship when she came onto me--and I mean, really came onto me. I pushed her away. She seemed a bit peeved over it but we were still civil. However, while we were on Cloud City, she caught me and Rembacca in a somewhat compromising situation."

Harry's mouth fell open. "What? You mean you and Rembacca…I never knew you were into that kind of thing."

Sirius seemed unfazed by the comment. "What's wrong with being gay?"

"Nothing. It's just that well, you know what Rembacca looks like."

"Yeah but it was a full moon that night, and Remmie was in his human form."

"Oh." Suddenly Harry realised. "Oh, I get it."

"What? You mean…hey kid! I may be a space pirate, but I got my morals."

Harry laughed. "So Hermia has been bitchy towards you because she's got the hots for you and you're gay?"

Sirius laughed. "Yeah. Now you can have a go with her."

Harry turned away from the pirate. "I don't know what you are on about."

"Oh, come on. I saw the look on your face when you saw her in that bikini. You fancy her."

"Are you sure that was how you know?" Harry then looked at Sirius again. "Or did you read it in my mind?"

Sirius stopped in his footsteps and Harry followed suit. The two looked at each other. With his space pirate gear and his unruly black hair, he did not look like a Wizard Knight to Harry.

Sirius shuffled his feet on the ground like a shy boy. "Look, Harry, there's something we got to talk about."

Before he could continue, a jet of light flew past them and hit the nearest tree. They both looked to see three figures completely dressed in black emerge and head for their broomsticks. Within seconds, they were both flying up the trees and into the sky.

"Death Troopers," Harry and Sirius said in unison.

Harry got on his broomstick. Sirius jumped up behind him and they both flew in pursuit of the troopers. It was awkward for the pair because the broom was barely big enough to accommodate them and as they flew above the trees, Sirius nearly fell off it due to lack of balance. However Harry was one of the fastest and best riders ever known, and so, even with the extra weight, he was able to get closer to the troopers. With one hand holding onto the broom tightly, he proceeded to pull his gun from his holster.

"No, not yet," Sirius advised. "Move closer to the one lagging behind."

Harry obeyed and gripped his stick with both hands again. He moved as fast as the weight on the broom would let him until they were so close that Harry could reach out and touch the bristles of the trooper's broom.

"Get alongside him," Sirius commanded.

Harry flew his broom close to the left-hand side of the trooper's. Sirius suddenly leaped from the back of Harry's broom to the back of the trooper's and forced the trooper off. Harry watched as the trooper fell until he could be seen no more.

Sirius shuffled towards the front of his broom, and the pair now tore after the remaining troopers. Now that there was no extra weight on either broom, the chase became faster. Suddenly, the gap between the two troopers began to widen.

"They're splitting up!" Harry cried.

"Right, you take the one on the left and I'll follow the other."

Harry nodded and the pair split up. He watched as Sirius swerved to the right and followed his trooper down into the forest again. He then focused on his own trooper, closing in fast. As they flew in the sky, Harry pulled his gun out of his holster and aimed for the rider. He missed--it was not a big miss, but he still felt stupid. He brought himself closer to the trooper and fired again. He missed the rider but a small fire lit up on the broom. The trooper proceeded to fly down into the trees at a faster speed.

Harry continued at his high speed and even though the trooper was now a distance away, the Wizard Knight aimed his gun again. This time, he embraced the Force and focused in the same way he had done during the battle on the First Death Mark.

He sighed. "Third time lucky."

He fired and this time, the trooper's broom flew out of control and the trooper fell to the ground on his back. Harry hovered over the corpse for several minutes until he was convinced that the trooper was dead. It was then that he flew in the direction that Sirius had gone.

He searched through the forest for the space pirate but could not find him at all. He reached out to sense if he was alive. He could feel Sirius' presence faintly.

"Sirius!" he called out. "Sirius!"

After what seemed to be an eternity, he found himself in a small clearing; and there, in the distance, was Sirius surrounded by a cluster of Death Troopers. Harry flew on his broom towards the battle. He got out his lightwand, activated it and raced towards Sirius' side. He shouted a hex and a jet of red light flew out of his wand, hitting a Death Trooper squarely in the chest. The troopers turned and aimed their lasers, but Harry was able to deflect every shot.

Suddenly, one trooper fired a shot that hit Harry's broom, crashing it to the ground. The young man immediately tumbled after it. He started to run towards the fight, but the same trooper fired another shot which hit Harry in the leg. He fell to the ground again, hearing some of the troopers laugh at his humiliation. He reached his wand out to hit the troopers, but another blast collided with his bare hand and Harry dropped the wand.

Despite the throbbing pain in his hand, he kept it stretched out as far as possible and focused on using the Force. He could feel the power working through him and suddenly, an invisible force pushed two of the troopers backwards. They fell upon more troopers, and a pile landed on the ground.

Harry was about to do it again when he saw Sirius reached out his own hand and more troopers fall to the ground. Sirius then lifted his open hand and Harry was gobsmacked to see the entire group of Death Troopers lifted in the air. The group was lifted higher and higher until they were above Sirius' head.

Harry struggled to stand to his feet and then hobbled towards Sirius, taking care not to put too much weight on his sore leg. He walked into the circle and stood opposite the space pirate who had his eyes closed. He looked like he was frozen into place. Harry looked up at the group of immobile troopers above him and suddenly they all dropped to the hard ground.

Some of the troopers groaned, but none could move any faster even if they tried. They all scampered in different directions. When they had all gone, Harry turned towards Sirius again. The pirate had opened his eyes but he looked as if he was in a trance. The expression on Sirius' face was one that Harry had never seen on the older man before. The closest description that Harry could think of was nostalgia.

"Sirius," Harry said. When the space pirate did not even twitch a muscle, Harry repeated, "Sirius," whilst clicking his fingers of his bare hand, forgetting the dull pain.

Sirius jumped slightly, as if waking up from a dream. "Harry!" he exclaimed. "What just happened?"

"You know what happened."

Sirius shamefully placed a hand over his face. "You weren't supposed to find out this way."

"I already know. Al-Bus told me everything."

Sirius chuckled under his breath. "He always threatened to do it if I didn't." He sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Harry. There's so much I have to tell you."

Harry placed his gloved hand on the pirate's arm. "It can wait. Let's just get back to the others."

Sirius lowered his hand until he could see the younger man, and he nodded. He then removed his hand completely from his face and wrapped his arm around Harry.

"Come on, kid. Let's get some weight off that leg of yours."

"Where's your broom?" Harry asked.

"Got smashed up. It's over there."

Sirius pointed towards some foliage, and Harry could see the broom, smashed up in half. The two halves were singed with laser burns.

"Looks like we've got a long way to go," Harry said in humour.

"We'll make it, kid," Sirius replied confidently.

And so, the pair took their time through the forest, trying to retrace their journey back to the _Wolfstar_. However, everything around them seemed to look the same, and after a time, Harry had the feeling that they were lost. Before either of them could speak out, a huge net sprang up from all around them, hoisting them above the ground. The pair became entangled in each other and unnecessary pressure pressed onto the sore spot on Harry's leg.

Sirius groaned. "Why do I get the feeling that this is not our day at all?"

Harry was about to reply when a dart hit his neck and he started to choke for breath. Sirius reached out to pull the dart out but it was too late--within seconds, Harry was unconscious. Suddenly, Sirius felt a pain in his neck and everything went black.

The trooper known only as Draco knew he was in trouble. As far as he understood, none of his fellow companions even had the chance to glace upon the Emperor, and to be brought to the great Lord only meant one thing--he had failed. Hell, they _all _had. Capturing Solo should have been easy, but they had all run away like cowards. Whenever a group of Death Troopers failed, one had to become the scapegoat; and as the Emperor pointed at him, Draco knew that this was his day. He sheepishly walked away from the group and knelt on the steps that led to the Emperor's throne. He then lowered his head.

"Explain yourself." The Emperor's harsh words sent a shiver down Draco's spine.

"My Lord." The trooper's voice was consumed with fear. "They overpowered us."

"Two mere men _overpowered_ you? You, who have brought to me numerous members of the Order could not bring me the two men that I want the most?" Draco started to speak but the Emperor interrupted him. "I will not hear any more of your lies. I can read Skypotter's mind and I know that," he glided one bony finger over the group. "every single one of you ran away like cowards! It shows how loyal you really are to me!"

A Death Trooper spoke up. "We _are_ loyal to you, my Lord."

Palpamort's sarcastic laugh echoed throughout the throne room. "You pathetic worms don't know the meaning of loyalty! If you had been as loyal as you say, you would have fought the two with no regard for your own lives!" He furiously retrieved his lightwand from his robes. "You know the penalty for failure. _Avada Kedavra_!" A jet of green light escaped from his wand and took the life away from Draco.

After a brief silence, Palpamort looked at his minions and barked, "I will have no more mistakes! I want the rest of that pitiful Order disposed of; and I want both Solo and Skypotter alive, or you will wish you had received a punishment as lenient as his." He pointed to the lifeless corpse. "Now take him away and get out of my sight!"

With no hesitation, the group left the room, carrying the deceased trooper with care. Palpamort put his lightwand back inside his robes and slumped in his throne. He started to rub his forehead with his fingertips.

He murmured to himself, "Sometimes I don't know why I bother. I really don't." He gazed upon Darth Vormtail who had not left his place on the Emperor's right. "This situation is most unfortunate and yet this is this first time Solo has used the Force in over twenty years. I feel that he is still confused and still has no faith in the Force. Skypotter is still a bigger threat."

Vormtail was puzzled. "Then why do you want Solo so badly?"

"Because now that Skypotter knows the truth, he will try to convince Solo to embrace the Force completely, and if he does, well you know how powerful he is." Palpamort placed a finger to his lips and went into deep thought. After a time, he spoke again. "His confusion could be a blessing onto us; maybe he could be seduced to the Dark Side."

Vormtail placed his hand on his helmet. "If he _is_ confused, then he is not the only one. My brain hurts."

Palpamort replied, "Only because you have a weak mind. It will all become clear when Skypotter comes to me."

"You mean, the troopers will _actually_ catch him?"

"No, my apprentice. He will come to me willingly."

"_Willingly?_"

Palpamort replied confidently, "Oh yes. I have foreseen it."

"And what of Solo?"

"His confusion clouds my foresight. No matter. He will not leave this planet alive--I will see to that myself if I must. In the meantime, Skypotter is our biggest concern at the moment and he _will_ come to me." He then ended his statement with an evil cackle.

When Harry regained consciousness, he felt like he was drifting away as well as numbness in his wrists and ankles.

"Sirius," he mumbled. "Sirius, are you there?"

"Yeah. I'm here, kid."

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Trust me, kid. You don't want to know."

Harry wanted to know, though. He looked around and saw that he was bound to a long pole which was being carried by weird-looking creatures. He could see that Sirius was in the same predicament and that they were being hoisted up the trees. They were carried up stairways that were wrapped around the gigantic trunks.

They were finally taken out onto a wooden walkway and Harry looked down but he was far too high up in the trees and so the drop looked like a bottomless pit. When they reached the end of the walkway, Harry could see that they were being carried into what looked like a village square. Harry and Sirius could see a huddle of huts which was made up into a circle. In the middle of the circle there was a cluster of mini bonfires and of course, hundreds of these strange-looking creatures.

The creatures that were carrying Harry's pole hoisted him so that he was leaning on his pole against a nearby tree. The ones that were holding Sirius' pole placed him over what looked like a barbecue pit.

Now that Harry was immobile, he could see the creatures more clearly. They all had large bat-like ears and bulging eyes that were far too big for their small heads. And indeed, they were small--if Harry was standing next to the tallest member of the clan, it would only reach up to his knee. And yet, he got a déjà vu feeling; although this was his first time on the planet, he felt that he had met these creatures before.

Sirius looked over at Harry with a frown. "I have got a bad feeling about this."

Harry nodded in agreement. "So do I."

Sirius groaned. "How did we get into this mess? I thought we were better than this. Oh, this is so embarrassing. All I can say I'm glad that Hermia is not here. She'd never let us live it down."

Suddenly, out of the largest hut emerged the Princess Hermia and Rembacca. Of course, only those that were closest to Rembacca would know that it was him. Rembacca had once been a man but he had become cursed to be a wolf-like creature forever. That is, except when the full moon rose and then, for as long as the moon was full, he would be his human self again. On this particular night, there was no moon in the sky. However, Spendor was a forest moon and the transformation was effective at all times. During the daytime, the transformation was only half-complete, turning Remus into a wolf-like creature. During the night time, he became completely human--shaggy brown hair, a lean figure and a very handsome face.

Sirius mumbled to himself. "Speak of the devil."

Hermia folded her arms and looked at the two captives, although her gaze seemed to be on Sirius rather than on Harry.

Harry asked, "What's going on here?"

"They must think you're the enemy," Hermia replied.

"Well, could you kindly tell these creatures that we are not?"

Rembacca spoke. "I will." He turned to the creature that was dressed in what seemed to be ceremonial robes. "Excuse me, but you must release them."

The creature's high-pitched voice was almost deafening. "But they are the deadly black men!"

Rembacca insisted, "They are not. They're our friends." He pointed to Harry. "That is Harry Skypotter."

The creature screeched. "Harry _Skypotter_!"

The crowd gasped in unison and a chorus of low mutterings filled the village. One of the smallest creatures skipped up to Harry and climbed up the tree that he was leaning on. He pushed away some of Harry's black fringe, and the creature's large eyes grew wider as he stared at the very recognisable lightening bolt scar.

The little creature cried out like an excited child. "It _is_ Harry Skypotter." He jumped off the tree and skipped happily, repeating the Wizard Knight's name.

"Release them immediately," the tallest creature commanded.

Quickly, the creatures ran forward and released the bound prisoners. Rembacca ran towards Harry and Sirius before enveloping them in a bear hug. Hermia followed and was welcomed into the hug by Harry. When they parted, they saw that all the little creatures had bowed.

"What's all this about?" Harry asked

The creature in the ceremonial robes lifted his head. "You are the one that Yobby told us about."

"You knew Yobby?"

"Yes, he was an Elvok, just like us."

"Ah." _So that's why you look so familiar_ Harry thought.

"I am Hokey, the leader of the Elvoks," the Elvok said. "And we are at your service. If you need _anything_ at all, we will do our best to help you."

"Well, I could use something for my leg."

Hokey walked towards the large hut. "Come with me."

Before Harry moved, he whispered to Sirius, "I guess my fame has its advantages."

As several Elvoks were tending to his sore hand and leg, Harry listened to the meeting that had started before he and Sirius had been brought to the village. It turned out that not long after the Order had landed on Spendor, they had been ambushed by numerous Death Troopers, or as the Elvoks called them "the deadly black men" Some had been killed and some were declared missing. Only five members of the Order were remaining. Harry recognised them but he could not remember their names at all.

"So what do we do now?" Hermia asked.

"That's easy. We attack," Sirius replied.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you kidding? There are only _nine_ of us that can fight. Are you saying that we few are going to defeat the entire Empire? You're mad!"

"Gee, for the so-called leader of this band, you really are a confidence booster," Sirius replied sarcastically.

"Well, what do you have in mind for our big victory?"

"Easy. We get an army."

"I wouldn't call nine people an army!"

"Not _us_." He pointed towards the exit of the hut. "_Them_."

"Tell me, Sirius. Did being trapped in that Veil for so long scramble your brains? They can't fight!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

C3-RW spoke. "If I may intervene, Princess but Solo here raises a good point. I know a little about the Elvoks, and although they are a peaceful race, they do have warrior-like qualities."

Rembacca agreed. "They must have if they were able to capture Harry and Sirius."

"Did you have to bring that up, Remmie?" Sirius retorted.

Rembacca grinned cheekily. "Yes."

Hermia smirked. "I suppose you do have a point." She then turned serious. "But they are just so tiny. Those Death Troopers will _crush_ them!"

Harry answered, "F2G2 is small--are you saying that he's useless?" The small android whined as if he was agreeing with Harry. "And my old Wizard Master, Yobby was an Elvok and he was one of the greatest Masters that ever lived."

"You always said he was an utter pain in the bum," Hermia commented.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "So are some other people that I could mention but that doesn't mean a thing. Yobby was still a great Wizard Master. You really should have faith in these creatures." When Hermia did not look convinced, Harry added, "I'll tell you what. We'll vote on it. All those in favour of us asking the Elvoks for help, raise your hands."

Seven hands raised in the air, and F2G2 whistled in agreement. The only one who did not raise her hand was Hermia.

Harry then said, "And all those against…"

Hermia interrupted, "Alright, I give up. Just don't blame me when this plan backfires."

"It won't," Sirius replied.

One of the Elvoks who was tending Harry's leg said, "Did you hear that? We're going to fight with Harry Skypotter!"

"I know. It's so exciting!" another exclaimed

Harry chuckled. "Are you nearly finished there?"

The first Elvok answered, "Yes you should be okay now."

"Is it safe for me to go for a walk?"

"Yes."

"Good." He stood up carefully. "Excuse me everyone. I'm just going to get some fresh air."

And with that, he left the hut. He made his way out of the village, moving past the Elvoks staring at him as he walked by. He stopped at the walkway--the same walkway that the creatures had carried him and Sirius over just a few hours earlier. The sheer thought of being captured by these little creatures was embarrassing but intriguing at the same time. The possibility that they could become significant in the fight tomorrow did not sound as ludicrous to Harry as it should have.

He stared up past the millions of leaves, fixing his gaze on the half-moon which shone amongst the countless number of stars. He knew what he had to do--he had no choice.

"Hey, kid."

Harry broke out of his thoughts and looked to see Sirius standing next to him. "Hi. What are you doing out there?"

"Just thought I'd join you in the quest for fresh air. You don't mind, do you?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Free galaxy, isn't it?"

Sirius laughed and then muttered, "Isn't it?"

They both leaned over the railings of the walkway. It felt like it was woven with leaves and bark. Harry looked down but the endless drop made him feel dizzy, and he shot his head back up again.

"What's up, Harry?"

"I think I just got a case of vertigo." Harry rubbed his forehead and then resumed his position on the railings. "I'll be alright."

"How's your leg and hand?"

"Hmm, still a little sore but at least I can walk on my leg now. My hand will be okay as well. Those Elvoks can work wonders. Oh, and speaking of which, do you _really_ believe that the Elvoks can help us?"

Sirius looked at Harry. "Of course. What makes you think otherwise?"

"I just had a feeling that you said it just to try to piss Hermia off."

"Oh, don't be daft! I meant every word of it and I think you believe that."

"Why?"

"Well, if you didn't, you wouldn't have sided with me on the issue. Maybe Hermia and I don't get on, but I wouldn't piss her off like that. It's just so childish and I…" Sirius stopped in mid-sentence before turning away and mumbling quickly, "I grew out of that a long time ago."

Harry watched as Sirius gazed down into the dark abyss. He had never seen the older man act this way before but it was not that that puzzled him. It was the mild fear that he could sense from Sirius.

_I don't believe it!_ Harry realised. _He's actually nervous!_

He spoke softly. "What did you want to tell me?"

Still looked that the dark void, Sirius asked. "What?"

"Before that chase with the Death Troopers, you said that you wanted to talk about something."

Sirius shuffled nervously. "It doesn't matter."

"I would like to know anyway."

Sirius sighed. "How much did Al-Bus tell you about me?"

"That you used to be a Wizard Knight, but after you were blamed for my parents' death, you ran."

Sirius closed his eyes as if he was ashamed. "Harry, I'm not in power here. I could tell you what I think you need to know but then, I don't know what you need to know. So, you can ask me anything--and I mean _anything_ and I'll answer truthfully."

"Al-Bus said that you gave up on the Force. Why?"

"I just lost faith, Harry. After your parents died and I was blamed, I felt that I had failed as a Wizard Knight. You see, your father had a vision that you and Lily would die. James, Vormtail and I made arrangements to take you and Lily to a safe place. Of course, Vormtail betrayed us, and Lily was found murdered with you crying your eyes out. James and I both knew that Vormtail was the traitor, and we set out to destroy that little rat but we fell into a trap. James was killed by Palpamort, and I was left for dead. I tried to get to Al-Bus, but before I could, the news had gotten round that I was the one that murdered your parents. So I just ran.

"I know I'm going into too much detail, but the bottom line of it was I felt I had failed and I still feel that way. I should have been able to protect James and Lily but the worst of it was I should have been able to detect the Dark Side in Vormtail." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry, Harry. Don't think I'm not ashamed for running away, but I didn't think I had a choice."

The young man placed a hand on Sirius' arm. "Why couldn't you tell me?"

"How could I? I'm a failure, Harry. I proved it that night."

"You're not a failure," Harry insisted. "You proved _that_ today. I'm going to face the Dark Lords. Come with me."

Sirius shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just told you, kid. I'm a failure. I wouldn't be much help."

"You were _brilliant_ today, though. You did something today that I can't do. You have powers that I don't even _understand_ yet. The Force is still strong inside you."

Sirius chuckled under his breath. "You sound just like Al-Bus."

"I'm serious!"

The pirate smirked. "So am I." His face then turned solemn again. "I can't come with you. It's too late for me to be any help with the Force. The Emperor will feel my negativity and will use it against us both. I'm sorry but I can't risk that happening."

A look of defeat appeared on Harry's face. "Okay."

He suddenly held onto Sirius. The space pirate could feel the young man's body shake against his own. "Come on, Harry. You can do it, I promise. Ever since we met in the Hutt's Head, I've watched you grow stronger in the Force. You _can_ do it."

"I won't be coming back. I know that, but I'd rather die than turn to the Dark Side."

"Just remember that anger and fear are the Dark Side. Once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny. The Emperor won't admit it, but he is terrified of you--he tried to kill you once before but he ended up being nearly destroyed. He is terrified of what you can do. So he and Vormtail will try to tempt you in any way they can. Don't listen to them. Understand?"

Harry nodded, keeping his hold on Sirius, and the pirate embraced him back. Soon, perhaps too soon, Harry gently pulled away and moved slowly down the walkway until he had disappeared out of sight. Sirius watched him go and then leaned against the railings, staring at the stars above.

"You should have gone with him, you know."

Without looking away from the stars, Sirius replied, "I couldn't, Remmie. My presence would only make it worse for Harry."

Rembacca looked at his friend with sadness and pity. He knew everything about Sirius--the pirate had confessed everything after the battle on the First Death Mark. That had been four years earlier, but Rembacca remembered it as if it were yesterday. He also know about Al-Bus' visits to try and tempt Sirius back into the Force, each one being a failure. He knew that nothing that he said would make Sirius change his mind. So instead, he simply embraced the pirate who returned the gesture.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Rembacca said.

"Yeah, me too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry Skypotter and the Return of the Wizard Knights Part 2**

When Sirius awoke with a start, he could see sunrays shine in through the cockpit of the _Wolfstar_, almost blinding him. He had been disturbed with nightmares about Harry back at the Elvok village and he had decided to go back to his loyal ship for some sleep. He did not really want to think about his best friend's son at the moment--it only made him feel guilty for what he had done the previous night. He had spent the night sleeping in his pilot seat. He groaned and shuffled in his chair, trying to get back to sleep.

"You're not going to get back to sleep, Solo. So I suggest you wake up."

Sirius opened his eyes again. "Who's there?"

When he received no reply, he retrieved his gun from his belt and quietly but quickly made his way down the spacecraft. He turned a corner and there was…

"James!" he gasped, dropping his gun on the ground.

And indeed, it was the ghost of James Skypotter standing before him. "Hello, Sirius."

"What are _you_ doing here?"

James folded his arms and Sirius knew that if his friend could, he would be leaning against the wall of the ship. "Well, that's a nice thing to say to an old mate."

"No…it's just….anyway, what's going in here?"

"Well, Al-Bus is sick of coming to knock some sense into you so he has sent me to do his dirty work. You know, I couldn't believe it when he told me what was going on. I thought 'This couldn't be the Sirius that _I_ know.'"

Sirius placed a hand on his forehead, leaned against the ship and groaned. "James, don't."

"Do you want to know why Lily and I assigned you as his guardian? Because we thought you'd be able to look after him. I guess we were wrong, weren't we?"

"James, I couldn't look after him. After I was blamed…"

"No, Sirius! That's not what I'm talking about! You couldn't help that. What I'm talking about is the fact you got a chance to destroy the Dark Lords and you sent _my son_ in there alone!"

"But last time, I failed…"

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did!" Sirius cried out. "I should have sensed the evil in Vormtail! I should have been able to help you in that fight! I shouldn't have let you die!"

There was a brief silence before James spoke. "We all failed, not just you. Hell, not even Yobby sensed the Dark Side in Vormtail. As for what happened to me, you tried your best. If Palpamort hadn't used the Cruciatus lightening on you, you would have kept on fighting. The only failure I can see is that you are backing away from your only chance to help Harry defeat the Dark Side. Tell me, Sirius, when you used the Force yesterday, how did it feel?"

"What?"

"You heard me. How did it feel?"

Sirius closed his eyes and thought back to when he had taken all the Death Troopers and lifted them. The power inside him had been incredible, like something had been released after many years of captivity. In the moment when the troopers had been immobilised over his head, he had thought back to his days as a Wizard Apprentice--glorious days before the darkness had set in.

"Wonderful," he said under his breath. "It felt wonderful!"

"Then you know what has to be done."

Sirius was insistent. "I can't. If I go to help, I'll fail Harry."

"If you don't and Harry dies or turns to the Dark Side, you will have failed him even more."

James' words hit Sirius like a dagger in his heart, and he suddenly got a vision: Harry dressed in his black Wizard Knight outfit, but now he was no longer a Wizard Knight. The dead body of Vormtail lay by his feet and Harry was standing in his rightful place as the Emperor's new right hand.

"No!" Sirius shouted.

He looked around and saw that James had gone but it did not matter. Sirius was no longer lost--he knew what to do--what he _must _do. He bent down and opened the metal panel in the floor. He went into the hidden compartment and pulled out a pile of clothing. He had not worn it in over twenty years but now, it was perfect. He then reached for his old lightwand--the same one he had constructed himself as a young Wizard Apprentice. He activated it, and as it glowed its usual blue haze, Sirius smiled.

Hermia did not think the day could start off any worse. First, Harry had left to battle the Emperor and Vormtail, which meant that the Order had lost their only chance of Sirius' ridiculous plan becoming a success. And now, Sirius had done a disappearing act in the night; no-one knew where he was, not even Rembacca.

C3-RW wished he could comfort the agitated princess, but he knew nothing about human emotions, except that the wrath of an angry woman was one of the deadliest things in the galaxy. He decided to wait outside the Elvok village square just in case Sirius did make an appearance.

Eventually, Sirius appeared from around a tree trunk and walked towards the village. C3-RW noticed that he was no longer in his usual attire but rather an outfit similar to Harry's--his clothing was as black as his long hair which was no longer free-flowing but instead up in a ponytail.

"Sirius," C3-RW said, "where have you been? Princess Hermia is very angry with you."

"Oh, let her be, RW. I've handled worse than her."

"She has never been _this_ angry before."

"Trust me. I'll handle it."

He walked with poise through the village square and out of the largest hut came Hermia, her face like thunder. "And where have you been?"

Sirius flashed a grin. "You sound like you could have been my mother."

"I mean it!" Hermia was almost hysterical. "We've been looking _everywhere_ for you."

"Really? Well, you should have started with the _Wolfstar_. I've been there all night."

"Why?"

"If you must know, I couldn't sleep and ended up taking a walk. I ended up at the _Wolfstar_ and slept there, alright? Any more questions, _Mother_?"

"There's no need to talk to me like that!"

"Well, stop acting like that way! Did you reckon I ran off or something?"

"Well, you did it once before," Hermia said defensively.

Sirius pointed a finger at her. "Yes, and I came back, remember? So enough of this already! Your bitchiness is really getting on my nerves!"

The two looked at each other in frustration before Hermia sighed and walked back into the hut. Sirius stood in his spot with his head in his hands. C3-RW walked over to the space pirate.

"Excuse me, Sirius but is everything alright?"

Sirius exhaled a breath. "Yeah, I'm alright. She just seems to be doing my head lately and I'm just worried about Harry."

"Don't worry about the Princess. She's just under stress at the moment…"

"She's not the only one," Sirius mumbled.

C3-RW continued. "As for Master Harry, he'll be alright. He's a Wizard Knight, you know."

Deliberately avoiding eye contact with the protocol droid, Sirius replied, "Yeah I know." He lifted his head "Anyway, what's happening?"

"Well, Princess Hermia and the rest of the Order are in that hut, going over the final battle plans."

"Why didn't you say so?"

Before C3-RW could answer, Sirius had disappeared into the hut. The protocol droid moved to stand next to F2G2.

"You know F2, I do not understand humans at all. I mean, if Sirius was not gay, I would swear that he and Hermia were married."

The android beeped and whistled as if he was laughing at C3-RW's tasteless comments. Meanwhile, inside the hut, the six humans and Rembacca were discussing the battle plans."

As always, Hermia took charge of the situation. "From what we've been able to establish, this band of Death Troopers are the last troopers in the galaxy so at least this battle is not in vain, if we win."

"_When_ we win." Sirius interrupted.

Ignoring him, she continued. "Also we've found out that both Darth Vormtail and Emperor Palpamort are in the Death Mark II, so that's where the Death Troopers are. That's where we attack. The Elvoks are in place and ready for the signal."

One member of the Order chipped in. "What about Palpamort and Vormtail?"

"Harry will sort them out," Sirius answered. "Our concern is the Death Troopers."

"But what if they come out to attack us?"

Sirius shook his head. "They won't. Their battle is with Harry, and he will destroy them."

Hermia raised her eyebrows. "You sound so sure about that."

"Trust me. Everything will work out."

Hermia sighed. "I hope you're right. I really do."

Sirius felt something come from the princess that he had never felt in her before--sorrow and longing for Harry. He empathised with her, for they both wanted someone that they cared about to come back. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him with sad eyes.

He smiled genuinely. "Come on, Princess. Let's move."

She smiled back at him and then stood up in an authoritative fashion. "Right, time to get going."

The rest of the Order followed her and they walked in single file out of the village, making their way to the Death Mark II. Eventually, they found their destination with an uncountable number of Death Troopers waiting outside it. They all got on their knees, except for the androids and peered over a bush.

"That is what the new Death Mark looks like?" Hermia whispered.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like it to me"

"Well, they've_ really_ gone downmarket since the last one."

"That was probably the idea. Anyway, how should we do this?"

"You tell us. It was your idea."

"Okay then. I say we just go for it."

However, before anyone could move, each member of the Order felt a gun at the back of their necks and a voice command, "Get up."

The Order obeyed but as soon as they were on their feet, Rembacca roared and charged at the troopers. One shot at him and the wolf-like creature yelped but he was able to swipe the same trooper with one paw. Suddenly the rest of the troopers were pushed back invisibly until they collided with trees.

Hermia gasped. "What the hell…Sirius!"

The whole group was gobsmacked as they saw Sirius with his hand outstretched. A gunshot was heard from behind, and the Order turned around to see the rest of the troopers heading towards them.

"F2, the signal!" Hemia shouted.

The android whined and beeped as loud as it was possible. Suddenly, hundreds of Elvoks descended upon the troopers from all sides with as much force as their tiny bodies would let them. The troopers fired their guns at the creatures--some were killed and some were wounded, but the troopers were always overrun by dozens more creatures in their place.

Hermia was more surprised than before. This battle scene should have been comical; and though it was, in its own way, she could not believe that Sirius may have been right. And speaking of Sirius, what was _that_ all about?

"Are you…are you a Wizard Knight?" she asked him.

Sirius winked. "I'm full of surprises, or didn't you know that already? Well, are you going to just gape at me or are you going to fight?"

Hermia retrieved her gun from its rightful place and smiled. She shouted, "Charge!" and every single member of the Order launched to join them.

Emperor Palpamort had been waiting for this moment for a very long time--some might say _too _long. And yet, it had been worth the wait to watch the great Harry Skypotter being brought to him, his wrists bound together. Two Death Troopers were by his side but Harry showed no resistance as he was led to Palpamort's throne.

"Welcome, young Skypotter," Palpamort said. "I've been expecting you. You no longer need those." With a small motion of his fingers, Harry's binders simply fell away, clattering to the floor. He added to the two troopers. "Leave us." And they did, leaving Harry alone with the Dark Lords.

In the moment of tense silence, Harry was motionless, wondering what was going to happen. He had expected the Death Troopers to confiscate his lightwand, but it was still in its rightful place in his belt. He could take it now--yes, he could take hold of it and strike down the Emperor. However, the moment passed and he did nothing.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment, Skypotter."

"Well, I hope I've not disappointed you," Harry said calmly, but there was a strong hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"On the contrary, my young Wizard I foresaw it just as I have foreseen that you will become my new apprentice."

Harry tried to keep steady. "You're gravely mistaken. You will not convert me to the Dark Side. Soon, I'll be dead and you two bastards with me."

The Emperor's laugh was vile. "Are you talking about your pitiful Order? They are no match for my army. Or are you referring to you friend, Sirius Solo?" Harry blinked and the Emperor smiled wider at the reaction. "Yes! I know all about Solo! Did you know that he is a coward, that he left your father to die?"

Harry tried to keep calm but he found it hard to ignore Palpamort's taunts. He replayed the advice that Al-Bus and Sirius had given him in his head but it was no good. All he could think about was his lightwand resting in his belt, and the temptation to use it was strong.

"Yes." The Emperor sounded triumphant. "I can feel your anger and hate. Take your weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Give into your desires and strike me down!"

Harry told of his lightwand with his gloved hand, trying to resist the temptation to kill this evil man--no, he was not a man. He was too inhuman to be one.

"Yes" The Emperor's voice was snake-like. "Do what your pathetic father never could!"

The young man gave in. He released his lightwand from its holster and launched at the Emperor. As he leaped into the air, Vormtail's red wand flashed into view, preventing Harry's attack. Harry jumped back and turned to face Vormtail. There was a tense silence until it was broken by Palpamort's evil laugh.

Meanwhile, the battle outside the Death Mark was in full swing. The Elvoks were proving to be a strong race despite their small size. They threw rocks at their opponents, knocking them to the ground. Plus, the creatures used blow darts on the troopers and Sirius could not help but think that it was the same weapon that the Elvoks had used on him and Harry while they were trapped in the net. The troopers kept firing their pistols, but the Elvoks' primitive weaponry of clubs, rocks and blow-darts proved to be very effective.

Of course, the Order was playing their part in the battle as well. Rembacca was showing off his amazing strength by swiping the enemy away with his sharp claws. He could have used his teeth but a bite from a creature such as him would have meant he passed the curse onto his victim and he had once said, in his human form, that there was enough of his kind already without bringing more to the galaxy. Still, he was doing enough damage by using his paws as weapons.

The rest of the Order, excluding the androids and Sirius, were using pistols. Each of them was good with a gun, especially Hermia who was known to be an excellent shot--she never missed. Sirius was using his lightwand as well as the Force to kill troopers and block shots aimed at his fellow fighters.

Suddenly, Hermia cried out, "Some are getting away!"

Sirius looked up and saw that she was right--several troopers were on their brooms and were flying away. He looked around and found two discarded brooms lying a distance away in the foliage.

He reached out his hand and said "Accio, broom!"

Both brooms flew straight to his hand, but he only grabbed one and left the other floating in the air. He got on his broom and turned to the princess.

"Fancy coming with me?"

Hermia could not believe it. "Why me?"

"Because you're the best shot. Now, are you coming along or should I just take the glory?"

She hesitated for a second but then rushed to the floating broom, taking hold of the handle. They both set off after the escaping troopers. They went higher in the air until they towered over to the troopers. They caught up quickly and Hermia got her gun at the ready, but after several seconds, she had still not fired.

She suddenly heard a voice in her head. _What's wrong?_

She answered, _I can't do it._

_Yes you can. You're a good shot._

_I've never done it in the air before._

_Go on. Do it or do you want Solo to mock you for the rest of you life?_

In an instant, she felt a spurt of confidence inside her. She focused on the trooper nearest to her and fired. It hit the trooper in the back and, she watched as he fell off his broom, falling into the abyss. Feeling good about herself, she did the same with the other troopers and they fell off their brooms like dead flies.

When all of them had fallen, she turned her broom around, and she noticed that Sirius had stopped following her. He was still floating in the air but he was completely motionless otherwise. She flew back to him and saw that his eyes were closed. There was an expression of sadness and pain on his face.

She reached out to touch him. "Sirius, are you okay?"

Sirius did not answer, but this not out of rudeness. He was no longer flying on a broom--he was in the Death Mark with Harry…

_Darth Vormtail and Harry were staring at each other. Sirius noticed that Harry's face was full of anger and hatred._

_Vormtail said, "Sirius knows what it is to be a coward…he ran away from us like a scared puppy."_

"_Search your feelings, young Skypotter_,_" _t_he Emperor urged_,_ "and know it to be true."_

_Harry was seething with more loathing than before_,_ and the Emperor smirked at the reaction he was receiving. "Yes. __Release__ your anger and kill the_ real _traitor."_

"Sirius!"

The space pirate woke up to see the princess looking at him with concern. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Harry. He's in trouble. I've got to go to him."

"Hold on. You told us that he could handle it."

"Yeah, well I was wrong."

Hermia sounded almost desperate. "But what about the battle?"

Sirius insisted. "Hermia, Harry is in serious trouble. I can feel him turning to the Dark Side and if he does, than it's all over. Everything. This battle will be lost. Plus, you're a big girl. I'm sure you can handle it."

Hermia smiled softly. "Okay, go and help him."

The pair swooped down back to the battle below. Hermia fired at several troopers from above and Sirius used the Force as best as he could. When he was close to the entrance of the Death Mark, he leaped from his broom and used his lightwand to deflect any shots that came in his direction. He eventually reached the entrance hallway of the building and ran as fast he could, hoping he was not too late…

Slowly, Harry and Vormtail circled, with their lightwands crossed, ready for the attack. Vormtail brought his wand forward for the attack, but Harry was quick on the defensive. Then came several blows but both fighters were able to defend themselves. Once again, they circled around the throne room, neither of them losing eye contact.

The second attack came from Harry, his determination and aggression more evident in each blow. Although each was met by Vormtail's defence, Harry continued to attack. The Dark Lord kept retreating until he lost his footing and fell.

Harry smirked. "And you were so good at this last year."

"Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy," the Emperor goaded. "Let the hate flow through you!"

Harry faltered--he realised what was happening and he was confused. He wanted to strike down this monster and the Emperor; it was the right thing to do. And yet, what price would it take? To succumb to the temptations of the Dark Side? He suddenly remembered what Sirius had told him.

"_Just remember that anger and fear are the Dark Side. Once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny."_

No, Harry did not want to become the thing he had spent the last few years of his life trying to destroy. He took a step backwards and lowered his wand. In that moment, Vormtail took the opportunity to attack. He lunged forward, forcing Harry to reverse defensively. More blows were thrown at each other, draining the energy of the two fighters. Vormtail swung his wand once again but Harry leaped to the overhead scaffolding.

"Coward!" Vormtail called out.

"It takes one to know one," Harry taunted. "Al-Bus and Sirius told me all about you--how you turned to the Emperor when you thought the Dark Side would win. You're a traitor and a coward!"

Vormtail laughed and Harry almost chuckled at the Dark Lord's pathetic attempt to deepen his squeaky laugh. But then, Vormtail spoke, "And you should know what it is like to be in the company of cowards."

"No!"

"Yes! Sirius knows what it is to be a coward. When it all got too much for him, he ran away from us like a scared puppy! Your father pleaded for him to come back." Harry could actually feel Vormtail smirking behind his dark mask. "In fact those were your father's last words."

"SHUT UP!" Harry snapped.

"Search your feelings, young Skypotter," the Emperor urged, "and know it to be true."

Harry did not want to believe it and yet the words sounded so true. He could see it in his mind-- no, he was seeing it through Palpamort's mind--his father writhing in agony under the Emperor's power.

"_Sirius!" James cried out, reaching his hand for his best friend. But Sirius was running as fast as his legs could carry him, ignoring the desperate pleas._

Harry felt the anger boil up inside him, but the images were so vivid that they _had_ to be true.

"Yes!" The Emperor commanded. "Let out all you anger and hate!"

"NO!"

Harry turned to see Sirius run through the room. Vormtail did the same and raised his lightwand in defence. Sirius launched at his former friend, and blue light collided with red light. Harry watched as the space pirate completely overpowered the Dark Lord. When Sirius pushed Vormtail back to break the clinch, Vormtail hit his head on an overhanging beam and stumbled backwards, forcing him to his knees. The Dark Lord raised his wand to block Sirius' aggressive assaults and Sirius slashed off Vormtail's right hand.

Sirius towered over him, the point of his glowing wand resting at the Dark Lord's throat. He suddenly felt a blade against the back of his neck.

"Harry" He said softly "I know what you're thinking but you can't believe what they say."

"You left him to die!" Harry shouted.

"No, Harry!" Sirius pleaded. "I tried to help your father but I was writhing in agony. I watched your father die in front of my eyes. I would have never run away from your father. He was like my brother--I loved him!"

Harry still felt his anger inside him but then another vision appeared: _Sirius, weak from the Cruciatus lightning_,_ trying to crawl to help James from the Emperor's grasp. James screamed one more time before becoming lifeless and then everything went black. _

Harry felt his hatred towards Sirius weaken and then he remembered Al-Bus's words: _The Dark Side is very naughty and anyone who practices it will try to mess with your mind._

The young man broke out of his thoughts when he heard the Emperor bark, "Do it! Release your anger and kill the _real_ traitor!"

He stood erect and hurled his lightwand away. He turned to face the Emperor and took a few steps forward. He heard Sirius deactivate his own lightwand.

"No" Harry said confidently. "I won't become like you."

"Very well." The Emperor stood up. Vormtail had crawled like a wounded animal to his Master's side. "If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed."

Palpamort raised his bony hands towards Harry and red bolts of energy escaped from his fingers. Suddenly, Harry felt himself being pushed away and watched as the red bolts tore through Sirius. Harry saw Sirius collapse to the ground in sheer agony. He crawled to the pirate's side, but then, an indescribable pain ripped through him. As he writhed next to Sirius, he heard footsteps until the Emperor was towering over both of them. Another evil laugh echoed through the room before the two victims saw red again.

The Emperor rasped. "You're a fool, Skypotter. You could have had powers and greatness beyond your wildest dreams. You will pay the price for your lack of vision. And, as for you Solo, you will watch him die just as you did with his father!"

He laughed maniacally, and the energy bolt from his fingers increased in intensity. The sound was loud, drowning out the screams of his victims. Harry felt his body stop moving altogether--all he could do was watch his friend struggle in as much agony as he himself was in.

"Sorry," Sirius mouthed.

Suddenly, they saw the Emperor being lifted up, his hands still shooting bolts of energy. With the torture no longer inflicted on them, Harry and Sirius watched as Palpamort was carried away by…

"Vormtail!" they called out in unison.

Yes, it was Darth Vormtail holding his Master high in the air. As the Emperor struggled in Vormtail's grip, the Dark Lord continued to move towards a pit on the other side of the room. With a remarkable spasm of strength, Vormtail hurled Palpamort into the abyss. The Emperor, however, grabbed hold of his servant and Vormtail followed his Master into the chasm. For a few seconds, there was the sound of their cries mixed with the sound of the energy bolts and then there was silence.

Harry and Sirius lay on the floor for some time, letting the pain subside. Eventually, Harry crawled over to Sirius and the two intertwined in a hug.

"Thank you," Harry whispered. "I'm sorry for nearly killing you."

"The Emperor is powerful when it comes to corrupting visions but he's not the only one that can communicate with minds."

"So you _did _send me the vision on how my father died."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. I didn't want to because it's dangerous, but you had to know the truth. I had to do something to calm the anger in you."

"I believe you, Sirius. I know that you wouldn't abandon my father like that."

"I would have died before letting that happen."

"I know." After a silence, Harry added, "I also knew that you would come to help me."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, I couldn't let you take all the credit, could I?"

Harry laughed, though it hurt to do so. "Looks like Vormtail would do, if he was still alive. I don't understand what happened there."

"I think I do; he was honouring a life debt."

"Who did he owe a life debt to?"

"Me. Remember when I had him by the throat and you had me by the neck?"

Harry groaned. "Oh, don't remind me of that."

"Don't worry about that," Sirius replied. "What I'm saying is that when you backed away from me to face the Emperor, I did the same to Vormtail. I know I shouldn't have done but I was more concerned about what the Emperor was going to do to you."

"Yeah, so what about Vormtail?"

"When you backed away, I could have killed him there and then but I spared him to protect you. Regardless, he owed me a life debt. What do you know of bonds like that?"

Harry thought for a moment and then spoke, "When two friends share a life bond, the debt can be paid anywhere they seem fit. But a life bond between enemies…Ah!"

"Exactly. When it's between enemies, the person in debt _must _pay up when the person he owes it is in danger. It's not of free will but forced," Sirius explained. "So, I spared Vormtail's life. I was in trouble so he had to do it. The Force is a funny thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled. "It's still fun though."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. Do you think you can stand up now?"

"I'll try."

"No." Sirius said in a mocking tone. "Do or do not. There is no try."

Harry laughed. "Oh, shut up."

Sirius was the first to stand, and he helped Harry to his feet gently. The pair helped each other make their way though the throne room, picking up Harry's discarded lightwand on the way. They kept on moving slowly until they saw the entrance. They opened the door together and stepped out in the daylight. After becoming accustomed to the blinding sunlight, they saw a pile of dead Death Troopers--the rest were bizarrely at the mercy of Elvok warriors.

Sirius said, "Well, I guess we're not needed here anymore."

"HARRY!"

At first, Harry thought that an Elvok had screamed his name. Instead, he saw Hermia running up to him, a very happy look on her face and her arms wide open. In the next instant, she had enveloped him into a tight hug.

"Woah." Harry was seriously surprised. "Hermia _giving me a hug!?_ Is it my birthday?"

"I'm just so glad to see you, that's all."

Harry flashed a toothy grin. "Sirius, I'm certain that it is_ definitely_ my birthday!"

Sirius started to laugh but he was muffled by Rembacca holding onto him in a bear hug.

"Okay, okay" His voice was gagged by the creature's greyish fur. "Don't suffocate me, mate."

"Hey, Solo," Hermia said.

His head still buried in Rembacca's fur, Sirius mumbled, "What?"

The princess shuffled nervously. "I just wanted to say…well, I know that we haven't got on lately and I thought this idea of yours was stupid but I guess I was wrong so I just wanted to say…I'm sorry."

Sirius gazed at her in shock. "Oh, Force. I think it's _my _birthday!"

Harry laughed, and soon the quartet was laughing out loud, although Rembacca sounded more like he was roaring. They all embraced in one friendship hug, and Harry felt complete.

In the starry sky, brooms were setting off the most beautiful fireworks that anyone had ever seen. A huge bonfire blazed in the centre of the Elvok village square. The Elvoks and surviving members of the Order rejoiced in the celebrations--laughing as well as singing and dancing to the beat of the primitive music.

Harry leaned against one of the huts and watched the merriment. He cheered in silence, feeling at peace with himself for the first time in several years. Ever since that fateful day that Al-Bus had taken him away from his depressing life on Privetooine to save a princess from the Empire, his life had become one hectic journey, focusing on becoming a Wizard Knight and overcoming the Empire. And now that journey was over, what could he do now?

He watched as Rembacca took hold of Sirius' hand and led him into an empty hut. Before Sirius went in, he turned to look at Harry, and they both smiled simultaneously. And then Harry watched Sirius disappear into the hut, knowing that they would not surface again until the next morning.

He heard Hermia tut and say. "I don't know."

"Aw, come on, Hermia. It's not that bad."

"Well, it's not natural. The thought of Sirius and Rembacca in his wolf form doing….that?"

"What? You don't think that they do it all the time, do you? Sirius told me that they only do it while he's returned to his human form."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. I mean, they may be space pirates but they've got morals."

"Ah, but after today, is Sirius still a space pirate?"

Harry shook his head and spoke truthfully, "I don't know."

Hermia sighed. "Well, I guess he has his uses even if he is a git."

Harry smiled. "I could say the same for someone else." When Hermia glared at him, he chipped in "Anyway, do you fancy a dance?"

She raised an eyebrow and then she smiled back at him. "Yeah, alright. What the hell?"

And so, the two danced throughout the night. Harry had no idea whether this was the start of something special between the two of them or whether Sirius would resume his place as a Wizard Knight or hell, he did not even know what was going to happen tomorrow. And, to be honest, in that moment, he did not really care. All that truly mattered was dancing to the beautiful music and feeling as free as he could possibly be.

_End_


End file.
